Figure skating mom sympathizes with Rochette

VANCOUVER - Julie Buckland is a figure skating mom - her son is an Olympian from Great Britain - and she knows all too well the pain Joannie Rochette and her father Normand are feeling today.

Therese Rochette, Joannie's mother and Normand's wife, died early Sunday morning in Vancouver General Hospital after suffering a heart attack. She was 55. Joannie has committed herself to competing at the Olympics - the short program goes Tuesday - and Normand is here to support his daughter's choice. Buckland's son made a similar decision three years ago.

"I just know how that family is feeling. I've just been there," said Buckland, whose husband Peter died in 2007 of a heart attack at age 48, just one day before 17-year-old Nicholas was due to compete in the junior nationals in Wales.

"There are no words. You've just got to go through it," said Julie. "But that girl, I'm sure, will skate for her mom. All the people may find it strange if she still wants to skate but being a mother of a skater in a similar situation, the skating might get that girl through.

"That's her way of coping with it and it will be a comfort to her, knowing her mom, who was probably with her all the time through her training and she'd know that her mom will be with her then. She needs to get on with it and do it."

Buckland heard the sad news Sunday night, shortly before her son was due to compete in the original dance. It brought back a flood of memories.

"I know when my son lost his father he was absolutely devastated," said Julie, whose son is competing here with ice dancing partner Penny Coomes. "The thing Nick really said after a few hours, after the shock, he really wanted to skate for his dad. So despite what everybody thought, at the end of the day he still went to the competition and performed out of his skin.

"Even now my son is competing three years after he lost his dad and still now, I know, he thinks about his dad every time he goes out on the ice."

Nicholas was a rising star on the ice dancing scene and his father had been among his greatest supporters.

"It was a very difficult time but really I think the skating actually helped him through the death of his father. It brought a focus," said Julie. "It was his thing, the skating, and he knew how much his father wanted him to succeed so he was determined. His dad was always watching, always supported everything he did. So he was determined to get through it, as much for himself as for his dad," said Julie.

"I wasn't really thinking about the skating. I was thinking about the family tragedy but then when you realized he really wanted to skate, we as a family had to pull ourselves together, support Nick, and go with him to the competition. We were all struggling ourselves, never mind Nick, but he wanted to skate.

"His dad would have wanted it. That's what we did say to Nick. Do what you want to do, your dad would have supported whatever decision you make. If you want to skate, we'll all support you. If you want to stay at home, we'll support that too. We left it completely up to him.

"He just got up the following day and said 'look mom, dad would want me to skate, I want to go and do it.' We said fine, packed the car up and got going. I suppose it got us all through in a way."

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Figure skating mom sympathizes with Rochette

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